Mail chute



June 2, 1936. G. A. BRIDGMAN MAIL CHUTE Filed May 16, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR )vb/mz J VJ ji L9 j; Y SATTORN June 2, 1936. G. A. BRIDGMAN MAIL CHUTE Filed May 16, 1934 4 Shee1,S-Shee`l'l 2 G. A. BRIDGMAN MAIL CHUTE June 2, 1936.

Filed May 16, A1934 SheetS-Sheefl 3 Patented June 2', 1936 STTES ATENT OFFEQE MAIL CHUTE Application May 16, 1934, Serial No. 725,938

9 Claims.

My present invention relates to mailing devices and more particularly to mail chutes of the general type now in use in cnice and other multiple story buildings to conduct mail matter from upper floors to a collection point below, and it has for its general object to provide a mail chute of this character that will be convenient and efcient in use and will have features of construction whereby its assembly or erection will be facilitated. The improvements are directed in, part toward an assembly whereby preliminary installations of parts of the chute may be made during the rough construction of the base walls of a building, the finishing or surfacing of such walls brought up thereto and the completing elements of the chute later added thereto.

To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully de- Y scribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a section of mail chute between floors constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, the same being partly broken away, the two floors being shown in vertical section and there being included the base portion, broken away, of the section on the adjoining floor next above;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the building wall at one side of the chute of the showing of Fig. 1, illustrating the manner in which it is brought up to the chute installation and showing the latter, as far as it appears, in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical central section, partly broken away, through a building wall and floor, showing in such section from front to rear toward said wall the lower portion of an upper installation `or unit and the upper portion of a lower installation or unit;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 3 with the exception that certain overlying frontal elements have been removed to show in elevation rearward and central portions of the chute structure;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section in the plane of the locking bar for the front panels taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal section through the base element taken substantially on the line 6-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged horizontal section taken substantially on the line 1--1 of Fig. 4 through the ceiling piece or capitol connection;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged horizontal section through the chute and wall showing the tie piece or anchoring connection, taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective View of one of the supporting channels and a side channel or cheela plate, together with a portion of an anchoring strap;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the the base element, and

Fig. il is a perspective viewof the base element, Figs. 9, 1G, and 11, of course, being shown enlarged.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

To first give a general idea of my improved construction, 1 provide an arrangement whereby there is fastened to a rough or base Wall a wall support, preferably consisting of a pair of angle irons that are anchored to the wall by means of connecting cross pieces. The angle irons have outstanding anges to which are secured rigid cheek pieces. After these are installed, the surfacing or nishing of the base wall is brought up to them so that a definite relationship is established between such elements as plasteror marble and the general column of the chute. Within or between the cheek pieces, aforesaid, are mounted the channels and other letter conducting elements of the chute. Facing elements, such as the removable panel commonly used, and the base and ceiling elements are'attached to the vertical wall supports in such way that they complete the letter conducting elements and at the same time cooperate with the cheek pieces to give a finished appearance to thev chute as a whole. One advantageous result of the foregoing is that in the preliminary or basic construction of a building wall in which the mail chute is to be installed, the space to be occupied by the chute may be defined by the mounting of the cheek pieces, the wall may be finished or faced up to these and then the real mail conducting elements installed afterward with the fittings that complete the` structure and give it a finished appearance.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, and first to Figs. 1, 2, and 8 thereof, my chute construction embodies units which, as such, are erected between the floors of a building to extend from a floor surface A to a ceiling surface B in repetition with connecting letter conducting elements within or adjacent tothe floors themselves.

sill piece of The base wall is indicated at D and, in the present instance, this is plugged at I to receive screw bolts 2 that anchor heavy cross pieces 3. These cross pieces are screwed at 4 or otherwise secured to uprights 5 that consist, in the present instance, of angle irons vertically arranged and having their outer flanges turned forwardly or outwardly. Secured to these outer or forward flanges 5 are finished and preferably ornamental cheek plates 6 having inwardly turned ianges 1 at their forward edges. The securing means consists, in the present instance, of rivets 8 passing through similar inturned flanges 9 on the back of the angle irons. The cheek pieces may obviously be made of any desired side width or frontal depth according to the Wish to make the chute installation generally ilush with the wall line or outstanding therefrom.

In the present showing, the former is the case and the cheek pieces are even imbedded to some extent in the base wall D. The plaster or other finishing wall I0 is next applied to the base wall and brought up to the rigid cheek pieces, after which the marble or other facing is erected and the courses of which are indicated at Il, I2, I3, and I4 These are similarly itted against the cheek pieces so that a neat and accurate meeting of the chute installation with the wall is initially established in the building operation Without any tucking orlling in after the erectors of the chute proper or letter conducting channel, hereinafter described, have completed their operations.

It is convenient here to describe the relationship of the letter conducting channel to the enclosing co-lumn provided by the foregoing structure. Referring particularly to Fig. 8 for this purpose, the channel consists of a back wall I5 and side walls I6 spaced, in general, all around from the walls of the column. The said side walls I6 are substantially in the front to rear vertical plane of the edges of the front flanges 1 of the cheek pieces and their own edges are also flanged inwardly at I1 in spaced relationship thereto. The usual glass panels I8 are used to close the front of the chute and are removable. The sheet metal moldings I9 at the sides thereof that hold the glass are formed with ilat side faces 20 and an indented shoulder 2| at the back, the former tting closely between and within the cheek flanges 1 and the latter abutting against the channel' flanges I1 with a projection on the rear of the molding at 22 that protects this joint as a letter shed on the inside. On the outside the molding is almost ilush with the flanges 1 and the crack between the two will be recognized as such as to give little mechanical advantage to anyone seeking to pry the panel out.

The supporting elements for the conducting chute I5 are best shown in Fig. 5. At vertical intervals the channel is embraced by U-shaped brackets 23 (see also Fig. 3) abutting the rear `flanges of the angle iron uprights 5 and provided Ywith upstanding lugs 24. Bolts 25 passing through these lugs engage a bridge piece 26 extending across between the angle irons at the rear whereby the channel is snugly clamped in position in a manner permitting vertical adjustment or positioning. The sides I6 of the channel are riveted to the side arms 21 of the bracket at 28. These channels are, of course, built in sections, one or more to a floor and joined between floors in a manner hereinafter described.

VAt the bottom or floor line A of each floor installation is a base element, indicated generally at-29, shown in detail in Fig. 11 and in horizon-v tal section in Fig. 6. It consists of a front casting having flanged edges 30 that extend rearwardly against the cheek plate flanges 1. A yoke 3I is secured to this casting at 32 and extends rearwardly to crossbetween the angle iron uprights 5 and lie forwardly against the same. A bridge piece 33 on the back of the uprights receives bolts 34, as before, to secure the yoke in position, it being noticed that all of the fastening devices are accessible only from the interior.

The base element is made in two parts. The additional part, shown in detail perspective in Fig. 10, is a sill piece 35 in the form of a frame superposed on the element 29 and which is provided with lugs on the inside at the front, appearing at 36 in Fig. 3, which t over and interlock with a rib 31 running along the upper edge of rbase member 29. The rear rail 38 is offset upwardly, abuts the angle irons 5 and is fastened thereto by bolts 39 and a bridge piece 40 in the manner previously described for other parts.

The lower removable panel |83, as shown in Fig. 3, has a lower rail 4I connecting its moldings I9 as a part of the glass frame which rests upon the sill piece 35 and has a shoulder 42 by which and forward movement. A corresponding upper rail on the panel frame is constituted by a locking bar 43 (see also Fig. 5) in the form of a shallow casing with rearwardly turned ends that abut the front faces of the flanges 1 of the cheek plate. At this point the side arms 21 of bracket 23 are connected at the front by a cross bar 44 having a pair of undercut keepers 45 at the front and center thereof. A key controlled lock manipulatable only by authorized persons is carried by the locking bar 43 and the cylinder thereof is shown housed Within the latter at 46. The rotary bolt 41 thereof is of proper shape to pass between the keepers 45 and interlock behind them, thus securing the lower panel I 8a in place. Inclined lugs 48 on the inner side of bar 44 act as letter sheds to protect the letters from striking the moldings of the panel.

At the lower end of the upper removable glass panel I8 is a rail 49 that is supported by cross bar 44 on which it rests. This rail projects forwardly and the upper edge: of the locking bar casing 43 engages over it, the side moldings of the panel adjacent to the rail being cut away for this purr pose so that the locking bar prevents upward disengagement of the upper panel while at the same time the upper panel prevents lifting the lower panel with its locking bar to disengage it at the bottom.

'I'he upper cross rail; 50 of upper panel I8 isI L- shaped in cross section and engages with an upward movement behind lugs 5I von a frame 52 before the lower end of the panel is seated on its support. The frame 52 has a downward eX- tension 53 at the back by which it is bolted to the uprights 5 at 54 with a cross bar and bridge piece in the general manner heretofore described with respect to other parts. A hollow column head or ceiling piece casting 55 of the form shown in the sections of Figs. 3 and '7 crosses and lies against the front faces of the flanges 1 of the cheek pieces and is secured thereto by bolts 56 and a bridge piece 51. This is largely ornamentation so that it is immaterial that the bolt heads be exposed because the inner parts accessible therefrom cannot be readily dislodged through the removal of the ceiling piece. An apron consisting of a light metal plate 58, flanged at the sides, telescopes wlthin the ceiling piece 55 to abut the rail it locks behind it to be removed only by an upward 25 50 of the upper panel and spaced from interior parts by a lug 59.

This lug 59 is on a thimble 6l! forming part of what is called the floor section of the chute in the art, that is, the means within the floor level height whereby letters pass from the installation on one floor to that below. By means of this lug the thimble B5 rests on the front of frame 52 to which it is also riveted at 6 l while at the rear it is riveted at 52 to the extension 53. Within this thimble Si) is a tapered lining 0r letter conducting chute 63 which is supported by being crimped over the top thereof at its upper edge as indicated at 64. The lower end of this inner element telescopes in a letter shedding relationship into the upper end of the chute channel I5 on the lower floor. The upper end receives telescopically the smaller letter shedding end of a letter conducting tube or chute 65 that rises beyond the floor level A above and into the base of the installation on that floor. It is provided with a band 66 at its upper end that rests upon and is supported by the side walls or end members (il of base element 29 within the sill piece 35. The lower end of the letter channel l5 in the upper floor installation telescopes and delivers into chute 55, which brings us back to the region first described.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a chute constructed in accordance with my invention is inaccessible on the interior to any but authorized persons having a key to the locking bar L33 that interlccks all the accessible elements while there is such elasticity of assembly in the ceiling connections comprising chute i5, its panel i8, thimble 6B with floor connections 53 and cap piece 55 with its apron 58 taken with the adjustable supports 23-25 on the wall supports that the elements of a floor to ceiling installation may be fabricated oii of the job and yet made to fit perfectly even though there are variations in the floor to ceiling distances as compared with the building plans.

I claim as my invention:

l. 1n a mail chute, the combination with a base wall and a wall support fastened thereto, of two separate cheek pieces fxedly secured to the wall support in parallel relationship, a surface nishing on the wall abutting the cheek pieces so that they are imbedded therein, and a separate letter conducting channel member between the cheek pieces enclosed thereby.

2. A mail chute in accordance with claim 1 further characterized by the provision of a removable panel that closes the letter conducting channel at the front and cooperates with the cheek pieces.

3. A mail chute in accordance with claim 1 further characterized by the provision of a removable panel embodying side moldings that close against the front edges of the side walls of the channel and cooperate laterally with the cheek pieces.

4. In a mail chute, the combination with a base wall and a wall support embodying vertically disposed spaced angle irons and cross pieces connecting them and fastened in the base wall, of a pair of separate cheek pieces xedly secured to the angle irons, a surface finishing on the wall abutting the cheek pieces laterally so that they are imbedded therein, and a separate letter conducting channel member between the cheek pieces enclosed thereby and mounted independently thereof for application or removal.

5. In a mail chute, the combination with a wall support embodying a pair of uprights, a frame vertically adjustably secured to the uprights and including a cross piece at the front, a letter con ducting channel secured to the frame, a displaceable panel closing the front of the channel, and an independent and detachable locking bar provided with a lock engaging the cross piece and holding the panel against displacement.

6. n a mail chute, the combination with a wall support embodying a pair of uprights, a frame adjustably secured to the uprights and including a cross piece at the front, a letter conducting channel secured to the frame, a displaceable panel closing the front of the channel, cheek pieces secured to the uprightsr to enclose the channel and cooperating with the panel, and a locking bar provided with a lock engaging the cross piece to hold the panel against displacement, said locking bar cooperating also with the cheek pieces.

'7. 1n a mail chute, the combination with a pair of vertical wall supports, a floor base element embodying a frame, a bridge piece by which the base element is adjustably secured to the uprights, a letter conducting chute supported by the frame, and cheek pieces on the uprights enclosing the chute and engaged at the front by the base element.

8. In a mail chute, the combination with a pair of vertical wall supports, of a pair of superposed oor base elements embodying frames, bridge pieces by which the base elements are adjustably secured to the upright wall supports, a letter conducting chute section supported by the frame of the upper floor element, cheek pieces on the wall supports enclosing the chute and engaged at the front by the floor elements, a letter conducting channel above the chute section, and a front panel closing the channel and resting upon the upper floor element.

9. In a mail chute, the combination with a wall support embodying a pair of uprights, of a letter conducting section secured thereto, a pair of lateral cheek plates enclosing said channel, a ceiling piece abutting the front of the cheek plates, and a bridge piece cooperating with the cheek plates and by means of which the ceiling piece is secured thereto.

GEORGE A. BRIDGMAN. 

